Michael and Kristina Gabelli Establish New Scholarship at NJIT in Honor of Sal Capriglione

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is pleased to announce that Michael and Kristina Gabelli have established a new scholarship in memory of Sal Capriglione.

The scholarship will annually support two academically talented undergraduate students enrolled in the Newark College of Engineering and participating in ROTC. The inspiration for this new scholarship was the Sal Capriglione Memorial Endowed Scholarship, established by The Skyway Foundation in 2013.

Mr. Capriglione was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, and remained active in the Air Force Association until his death at age 50 in 1969. Mr. Capriglione respected the commitment of young men and women who served in the armed forces and supported them at every opportunity. After his untimely death, Chapter 190 of the Air Force Association was renamed the “Sal Capriglione Chapter.” The Sal Capriglione Endowed Scholarship represents the three ideals that Sal held close to his heart: dedication to country, dedication to community, and love of family and friends.

Kristina Gabelli commented, “We are thrilled to make this commitment to NJIT, in honor of my grandfather Sal Capriglione. Sal was an honorable man and throughout his life was devoted to helping the young men and women of the U.S. military. We are proud to establish this scholarship fund in his name that will provide opportunities to well-deserving NJIT students.”

Michael Gabelli added, “Our goal is to provide financial assistance for deserving students who embody the ideals, values and principles that guided Sal’s life. We look forward to helping these students at NJIT achieve their goals for several years to come.”

"For so many of our talented and hardworking students, the chief obstacle standing between them and a degree from NJIT is not academic but financial,” noted Kenneth Alexo, Jr., NJIT’s Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations. “I want to thank Michael and Kristina Gabelli for their generosity and leadership in establishing this scholarship in memory of Sal Capriglione – and for helping us maintain the affordability of an NJIT education for all deserving students and their families."

One of the nation's leading public technological universities, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a top-tier research university that prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT's multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. With an enrollment of 11,400 graduate and undergraduate students, NJIT offers small-campus intimacy with the resources of a major public research university. NJIT is a global leader in such fields as solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering, and cybersecurity, in addition to others. NJIT ranks 5th among U.S. polytechnic universities in research expenditures, topping $126 million, and is among the top 1 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to PayScale.com. NJIT has a $1.74 billion annual economic impact on the State of New Jersey.